The University of Washington is fortunate to have a few on-campus museums, which are incredible resources for our students. Not only do The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the Henry Art Gallery offer free admission to all UW students, both museums offer a variety of work study positions, which give students paid opportunities to gain further experience working in a museum. Work Study is a Federal Student Aid program that partially funds part-time jobs for students with financial need as way to earn money to offset educational expenses. This year, there are 26 Museology students who hold work study positions at the Burke and the Henry. These work study opportunities offer a broad range of experiences, from working with natural history collections to working with teens in arts-based programming.
Through their work study positions, students have an opportunity to try out different areas of museum work that they may not have considered before. Melisa McChesney, Class of 2017, currently works as a Membership and Development Assistant at The Burke Museum. While her goal is to primarily work in community engagement, outreach, or education, she is grateful for the experience working in development. “I feel like my position has given me experience that will insure that I have a job in the future, wherever I go,” she said. “I want to work in small museums and small communities, so I think that having a well-rounded background is essential.”
These positions have also been helping students further pursue their particular interests in museums. Megan Martinko, class of 2017, says that when she began in the Museology program, “I knew I wanted to work in education, but….didn’t have the informal education experience necessary to supplement my passion.” She said that in Education department at The Burke, “I have gained experience teaching and working with students ranging from Pre-K to Grade 12, and will emerge from the Museology Graduate Program confident that I am prepared for my future in museum education.”
Emma Cantrell, Class of 2018, came into the Museology program with some experience working in education. Her work study position as the Program Assistant for School, Youth, and Family Programs at The Henry has added to her expertise and deepened her love for museum education. “I’m interested in museum education, contemporary art, program evaluation, and working with young people,” she said, “and I can’t imagine better position to help me reach my professional goals.”
In addition to helping them gain professional experience, these work study jobs are also great ways for students to connect with the Seattle community and learn more about themselves as emerging museum professionals. Emma says that through her work with the Henry Teen Art Collective, which is in its first full year, she has been able to see first-hand how “talking about and making art serves as a catalyst for building both community and individual identity.” “My supervisor Michelle and I have been able to experiment with how we teach and evaluate the program,” she said. “Each week is different, and we are frequently testing new ways of engaging the teens with art, artists, and the museum.”
Melisa has been able to find community and support within her role at the Burke. “I love working on special events, getting to know our members and donors, and being a part of a really impressive development team. They always make me feel valued and they are dedicated to making sure that I’m getting opportunities to grow professionally.”
These paid positions are providing a wealth of experience for our students that parallels their coursework, giving them a chance to put their academic work into practice.
